Now You Can Have a Great Facebook Profile and Have Fun Too!

So you want a professional Facebook profile, but you don’t want it to be boring. After all, this IS Facebook, not LinkedIN, and Facebook is supposed to be fun.

Great! While LinkedIN is all business, your Facebook profile is a great way to show your personality.

Just remember that employers look at your Facebook profile to get a glimpse of who you are, while they find what you can do from LinkedIN. So it’s ok to keep it a little light, just avoid making yourself look bad in the process.

Here’s some tips to bring out your personality in Facebook:

1. Use a funny picture….but not too goofy. Some people use creative cropping or photo editing, to make a professional looking photo look more interesting. Some will only display half their face (consider displaying the left half if you’re a left brainer, right half if you are creative) while some like Seth Godin just display his head from the eyes up. I’ve seen great uses of pics that are sideways or upside down. I saw a great one with a globe morphed into a woman’s face – if you’re in global business, what a great visual.

Don’t put a picture of your kids or your pets on your profile. Make it about you. If you want to include family members or pets, great! Just make sure you’re the main part of the picture.

2. Include a summary of your resume. Keep it less detailed than LinkedIN.

3. Your ResuBlog – If you’re ResuBlogging, or have a blog, include it. Facebook has apps (My Blogs) that will automatically post your blog entries to your profile.

4. Include pictures of your family, or of your vacation. Show who you are in your non-work hours. Include hobbies, musical tastes, books you like, things you like to do. You never know what kind of common interests your hiring manager might share with you.

5. Use Facebook for networking. There are plenty of Facebook apps to help you network. Make sure to add them to your profile.

6. Recommendations Facebook App – include it so people can recommend you. Why not start by recommending others?

7. Video – Include your favorite (clean) YouTube videos, especially if they have something to do with your work. I include Monty Python interviewing sketch videos.

8. Twitter – Include the twitter application, that shows your tweets. It shows you’re a thought leader because you’re a twit, and it shows your Facebook visitors what you’re saying.

9. Your Online Profile – Facebook can be your online portfolio, showing not just photos, video and audio, but you can also post reports, PowerPoints, spreadsheets, and documents using the share button.

10. FriendFeed – Sign up for FriendFeed, and share what your other social networking activity with your visitors. Show what you’re tagging on Del.icio.us, Diggin’ on Digg, and Stumbling. Again, you never know what common interests might trigger a bong with a hiring manager.

11. Join groups around your hobbies as well as your business interests. Let your audience see what you like to do in your free time. Just keep them clean hobbies, ok?

For what NOT to put on your Facebook profile, see my earlier article, Online Reputation Management.

Wow….Looks like I should lighten up my Facebook profile!

How will you manage yours to look both professional and fun?

If you’d like more information, a free 30 minute resume consultation, or some advice about your career transition, just email your resume to reCareered at phil.rainmakers@gmail.com, and we'll schedule a time to talk.